Magura
MT7
Disc Brake System

Product Description

The MT7 stands for maximum braking performance and stability in extreme conditions. In the tough, bike-testing worlds of Enduro and Downhill, the additional braking power of the 4 brake pistons is a positive safety factor. The aluminium, two-finger brake lever - with toolless adjustment - and the adjustable bite point provide the necessary ergonomics for perfect brake control, even in difficult terrain and on long downhill runs.

I decided to try these brakes out when my Juicy 7's finally kicked the bucket. Currently running the Storm SL rotors 180 f/r. The weight is surprisingly a bit less than my old setup, though there are many lighter options available now. The brakes were mounted on my SC Nomad or aggressive trail/light downhill/park use, and I weight 185lb R2R.

I'm going to preface this by saying I ride in the Northwest, so from the get-go the brakes were exposed to moisture. Installation was cake, hardware provided was very high quality, and the fit and finish of the carbotecture lever/alloy caliper was top notch. Some people might complain about the torx fittings all around but this didn't make any issue for me.

Once the pads bedded in, there was an incredible amount of power on tap, especially compared to my old Juicys. Not only was there more than enough power, it was completely controllable and never felt like overkill. I did end up moving my brake levers inboard of the shifters, as these really only require one finger to operate. Rad! After adjusting to the power, I could easily lift the rear wheel going around switchbacks and feather my way through a drift without much thought (I feel the best components are those that operate without requiring much rider attention). The brakes are very quiet most of the time, only making a light whirring noise under hard braking, except....

In the wet, I was having trouble with squealing under hard braking. I cleaned the pads/rotors off with alcohol, and per Magura USA's instructions, re-checked caliper alignment-- apparently the dual-piston system is more sensitive to this. I broke the pads in again with dry conditions, and while the honking seems to have gone away, I'm worried it'll be back once the weather gets nasty again. It's not that big of an issue, with the noise really only becoming pronounced when coming almost to a stop, just before the wheel locks up. I'll update if I find anything different.

Things to note, I have crashed hard enough to spin my carefully-tightened bars, and managed to bend one of the levers, but it bent back with light hand force and hasn't caused any issues since. Also, apparently the 2015 product in the US will not come with BAT/tool-free reach adjust, the rationale being most users don't feel the BAT is necessary and the reach adjuster is easily damaged. I haven't missed the engagement (BAT) adjustment, as changing reach with a 3mm hex worked just fine for me.

I dropped a chili overall for the weight and noise in the wet, though many brakes struggle with that, and the weight is pretty good considering the power available. Dropped a value chili for lack of tool-free adjust and another because there are few real upgrades compared to the MT5, which I understand has the same caliper, just painted instead of anodized, 2 pads/caliper instead of 4, and standard lever instead of the SL version.